He lay on the ground shivering, muscles tingling and cramping.
***”Two herbs, to draw out the wolf…”***
He had no idea where he was.
***”Accident… They’ll burn you up… Leave…”***
He had no idea what had happened.
***Young man, pale face. Running. Running and screaming.***
He crawled on his hands and knees, trying to stop the trembling.
***”You have to stop!”***
He fell on his back, and blinked twice. Sun was high on the sky.
***People screaming. Red haze. Pure rage. Power. Wolf tearing forth.***
He sat up slowly, breathing deeply. Shook his head to clear off the cobwebs covering his mind.
***KILL***
His skin felt cold and clammy from laying out here naked. Skin. There was something wrong with it. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it right now. Somebody was coming. He was all alone, completely naked and somebody was walking to his direction. A woman. She was carrying some sort of weapon. He recognized the shape vaguely. A… A sw… A sword? He tried to stand up again, but his legs refused to cooperate. He started crawling towards the thicket lining the path he had woken on. There were cuts and bruises on his hands. Huge, jagged tears still bleeding all around his body.
“Logan…” Too late. Woman was standing in front of him. He shook his head to throw back thick mop of hair that had fallen in front of his eyes. Lifted his gaze. Woman was kneeling. She had discarded her weapon.
“Logan… I missed you…”
Logan?
***”Wolverine. You can call me Wolverine.”***
Woman helped him up. Again there was something wrong. Something wrong in the way she supported him so easily, small hand wrapped around his waist, other holding his hand in place where he had slung it over her shoulder. She was small. He could tell it by comparing her to their surroundings. She shouldn’t have been able to drag him up so easily.
***Running. Sun setting in the horizon. Leaping forward. Jaws locking around the thick neck of his prey.***
He tried to warn her. Of what, he didn’t know. He could feel the soft mound of her breast through her shirt under his palm. Sharp. Something sharp. His hands.
“Careful… They’re sharp…” Except there was nothing sharp. His fingernails were blunt. Little jagged and torn from places, but not sharp. As blunt as his teeth.
***Tearing in to warm flesh. Blood.***
“It’s not far. Just hang on.” He couldn’t have let go of her even if he wanted. Her grip from around his wrist was like an iron manacle.
“We have to stop that bleeding soon…” Stop it? Why the hell was he even bleeding? What the hell was going on?
***Screaming. Sound of tearing flesh and skin all around him. They were transforming. All of them. He had chased down one of them, right in the middle of their lair.***
“Alaric! Open the door! I found him!”
***”Wolverine! Stop! You have to stop! Wait!”***
“He’s in bad shape…”
“Help me get him in to bed…”
“…coming soon. You have to get him out…”
“He can’t even walk!”
“I’ll see what I can do…”
“And throw that fucking fox out! It’s getting in the way!”
Buddy. She was screaming. Somebody was cursing. Loud thud. Buddy. He had to get up.
“Let go! Let go! Buddy!” Fox lay in the corner. Unconscious? He struggled free from their hold and stumbled to it. It was still breathing.
***Small cub, curled on top of his chest. Sleeping. Easy prey for him. Nothing but a mouthful of fur and bones. Sick, but it was getting better. This one had better stay alive.***
“Hands off…” He tried to stand taller. His size was usually enough to scare them off. It wasn’t working. They subdued him easily and pushed him back to the bed. Bed. Last time he had been in here it had been too small for him.
***Marie. Screaming and struggling. Kicking him. Standing up and striking him with a branch.***
Weak. He was so fucking weak and alone. Completely alone and empty. Why couldn’t they just let him be? He’d be all right. As soon as they left he’d be all right, just him and Buddy. They’d rest for a while, then they could continue searching her. Marie. She was out there somewhere.
***”I know where she is.”***
As soon as he got back his strength he would take Buddy and leave. For now it seemed that he had no choice but to obey his captors.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
*** indicates flashback.